IDs and privacy

Alexander 'Sasha' Chislenko (sasha1@netcom.com)
Mon, 28 Dec 1998 22:08:48 -0500

Every time you want to buy alcohol, enter a dance club, etc., you have to produce an "id" that supposed identifies you and certifies that you are eligible for whatever it is you are trying to get. But the IDs seem to contain a lot of unnecessary information. Why is it necessary for the alcohol merchant to know my exact date of birth, or my name, or the fact that I drive a car and don't see well without glasses?
An ID with a picture (of some identifiable body part) and an inscription "this person is allowed to buy alcohol" should be sufficient for the cause, shouldn't it?

I wonder if anybody issues such "minimal IDs", and whether they can be actually used.



Alexander Chislenko <http://www.lucifer.com/~sasha/home.html> <sasha1@netcom.com> <sasha@media.mit.edu>